Geology | European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet)

Primary geological survey information requires significant expert interpretation to generate user-friendly maps. Geological data are often used in combination with bathymetry to build up a comprehensive picture of the seabed and its subsurface. These data are a vital component of seafloor habitat maps and are essential tools in marine spatial planning, coastline protection, offshore installation design, environmental conservation, risk management and resource mapping.

The geology of Europe’s seafloor is diverse, ranging from hard rocky outcrops to very thick and soft glacial sediments and recently deposited river sand and gravel. The geological picture is further complicated by the presence of structural faults and by its highly dynamic nature. Episodic events such as earthquakes, submarine landslides and volcanic activity, and continuous processes such as coastal erosion, and current-driven sediment transport on the seafloor have an enormous influence on various spatiotemporal scales. To characterise the vast European underwater realm, geological data are collected in a number of ways: coring, drilling, grab sampling or dredging are used to collect physical samples; towed cameras and remotely operated vehicles to make direct observations; echo sounders for remote sensing of the seabed substrate; and seismic profilers for visualising the seafloor subsurface.

Objectives of EMODnet Geology

The geology portal provides free access to (i) geological data and metadata held by various geoscience organisations in Europe, delivered in accordance with international standards, and (ii) geological data products compiled at scales of 1:1,000,000, 1:250,000 and 1:100,000 or finer where the underlying data permit.

See specific objectives of EMODnet Geology

Providing access to data and information required to deliver harmonised 1:1,000,000, 1:250,000 and 1:100,000 maps of the seabed substrate, the rate of accumulation and/or sedimentation on the seafloor, geological boundaries and faults, geological events and event probabilities, and minerals.
Providing information on the rate of seaward or landward coastline behaviour, and describing the coastal typology.
Identifying and mapping the locations of all significant geological events (including submarine landslides, earthquake epicentres and volcanic centres) and providing information on probabilities of occurrence.
Identifying and mapping hydrocarbon and mineral resources (including aggregates, oil and gas, and metalliferous minerals) and arranging web-mapping services with holders of data on mineral resources.
Identifying and mapping submerged Palaeolithic and Mesolithic landscapes preserved on the European continental shelf.

Key services provided by EMODnet Geology

EMODnet Geology portal provides a range of services and functionalities to users for viewing and downloading geology data and products. Currently, the following key services are provided:

Data Discovery and Access Service: provides functionality to access data, produced by the EMODnet Geology project and made available via WMS (Web Map Service) and WFS (Web Feature Service) with an associated metadata record.
Composite Products Discovery and Access Service: provides functionality to search the catalogue for maps and other geographic data according to specific search criteria.
Viewing and Download Service: provides functionality to search and download records according to specific search criteria. Each result links to a full metadata record.

Data Discovery and Access Service

See the online services available here:

https://www.emodnet-geology.eu/services/

The EMODnet Geology portal provides access to information and services produced by the EMODnet Geology project and is powered by GeoNetwork (http://geonetwork-opensource.org/) open-source software. This is a catalogue application to manage spatially referenced resources based on the principles of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and International and Open Standards for services and protocols (a.o. from ISO/TC211 and OGC). Data within the portal are made online available via GeoServer (http://geoserver.org) as WFS (Web Feature Service) and WMS (Web Map Service). These services are powered by EGDI (European Geological Data Infrastructure) on the Europe Geology portal (http://www.europe-geology.eu):

search for WMS services of interest;
view information on the service;
view and interact with the service via a map interface;
obtain a link to the service to incorporate into a desktop GIS or other mapping application.

Composite Products Discovery and Access Service

There are many different ways to search the catalogue for maps and other geographic data. The most common way is via the catalogue or the search bar. The search bar allows you to enter a free text term and also offers a list of options depending on the text entered. The results of your search will be displayed on a catalogue page, with the option to add additional search options such as:

Searches based on data content such as keywords, organisations who have data available or the type of information being searched for.
Spatially defined searches based on spatial extent selected on the map interface.

The simplest way to find data of interest is to use the data catalogue and filter data using a list of options provided as a querying aide.

Viewing and Download Service

See the products available for download here:

https://www.emodnet-geology.eu/data-products/

Each product can be viewed as WMS example or on map prior to downloading.

Approach

Geological information is being compiled from a variety of sources, but principally from the national geological survey organisations of Europe. Harmonisation of national information is based on the principles established during the ur-EMODnet Geology Project (2009-2013). In addition to seabed-sediment information, EMODnet Geology has also been compiling information on the Quaternary geology of the seafloor (sediments deposited during the last 2.5 million years).

The EMODnet Geology portal provides access to project information and services. Data are made available via WMS with an associated metadata record. Links to the WMS can be used to incorporate information into a desktop GIS or other mapping application. The catalogue of available information can be searched either by listing information layers or by displaying the information on a map.

Data sources

Geological data from Europe’s seas are collected by national organisations using a range of tools and techniques. The main providers of data for EMODnet Geology are the national geological surveys, but other entities hold and contribute data.

The project also develops links with other initiatives and organisations collecting and holding relevant data and information. By making use of such third-party sources of information, the project ensures that there is no duplication of effort and that the users of the EMODnet Geology portal can be confident of sourcing the best and most up-to-date information available.

Overview of Main Sources of Data

National Geological Survey organisations;
Multidisciplinary national mapping programmes such as the Norwegian MAREANO Project (http://www.mareano.no/), the Irish INFOMAR Programme (http://www.infomar.ie/) and the UK’s Marine Environmental Mapping Programme (MAREMAP http://www.maremap.ac.uk/index.html). The outputs from such programmes are used in the EMODnet Geology outputs;
Other European initiatives such as SPLASHCOS (http://www.splashcos.org/), which brought together archaeologists, marine geophysicists, environmental scientists, heritage agencies, and commercial and industrial organisations interested in researching, managing and preserving the archives of archaeological and palaeoclimate information preserved in the drowned prehistoric landscapes of the European continental shelf and in further disseminating that knowledge to a wider public;
Industry (e.g. hydrocarbon industry, renewable-energy sector) holding or providing information at a national level. This information is then integrated into the interpreted information presented in the EMODnet Geology Project and stored on national databases;
Third-party WMSs, such as one hosted by the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (http://www.emsc.eu/about/), shared by the EMODnet Geology project to provide the most up to date information on earthquake activity in Europe;
The International Seabed Authorities Web GIS Application, which hosts up-to-date locations of three deposit types: polymetallic nodules, polymetallic sulphides and Fe-Mn crusts.

EMODnet Geology product development

EMODnet Geology data and map products contain information on the seabed substrate, including rate of accumulation of recent sediments, the seafloor geology (bedrock and Quaternary geology), coastline behaviour, geological events and probabilities, mineral resources, and submerged landscapes.

All interpretative products are based on primary information owned by the project partners, supplemented with other information in the public domain. Where the most up-to-date geological information is held on third-party websites, arrangements have been made for WMSs to provide these data to the EMODnet Geology portal.

Read more about EMODnet Geology product development

Fully populated GIS layer of harmonised seabed-substrate information, including confidence information based on the type and density of information used to create the geological interpretations.
Model for semi-automated classification of acoustic data for spatial modelling of substrate data.
Fully populated GIS layer of seafloor-geology information.
Fully populated GIS layer of coastal typology and behaviour information. Guidance on harmonised coastal monitoring.
Fully populated GIS layer of events and event-related geological features (landslides, earthquake epicentres, volcanic centres, tsunamis, tectonics, and fluid emissions).
Fully populated GIS layer of mineral resources.

Improvements in the current development Phase IV (2019-2021)

In addition to the seas included during earlier EMODnet phases (2009-2016), the partners in the consortium are expanding the geographical scope of the work programme to include also the Caspian Sea.

Improvements in the current development phase include updated GIS layers of seabed substrate information at a scale of 1:100 000 or more detailed from the European Seas, including Caspian Sea. In addition multi-scale map(s) will be developed further using all available seabed substrate information at different scales (e.g. 1: 25 000).

Read more about developments in EMODnet Geology in Phase III

EMODnet is currently in its third development phase (2017 - 2019) with the target to be fully deployed by 2019. Improvements in EMODnet Geology in the current development phase include:

EMODnet Geology Portal will consolidates the existing data products with higher resolution and more contents.
New services are being built, so users can investigate and search for borehole data, seismic survey data, and multibeam survey data using interactive maps and tools.
Reconstruction of the submerged landscapes of the European continental shelf at various historical timeframes.

Read more about developments in EMODnet Geology in Phase II

In addition to the seas included in the ur-EMODnet phase (2009-2013), the new partners in the consortium are expanding the geographical scope of the work programme to include the White Sea, Barents Sea, the seas around Iceland and the Faroes, the Bay of Biscay and the Iberian Coast, the Western Mediterranean Sea (within EU waters), the Adriatic Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Central Mediterranean Sea (within EU waters), the Aegean-Levantine Sea (within EU waters – including the Turkish sector) and the Black Sea (Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine).

Quaternary geology, which was not included in the ur-EMODnet phase or the current call, is an important part of the sea-bed substrate. During this phase of the EMODnet Geology Project, work will commence to identify Quaternary geology information held by the project partners and an inventory will be made with definitions of terms that can be included in a geomorphological interpretation of the seabed. Work to harmonise all boundaries between national datasets would be a major scientific endeavour that is beyond the scope of this project, however the establishment of baseline Quaternary information that exists for the European seas will be a major contribution to defining areas where further research is required and will be of direct relevance to users of seabed information (e.g. the renewable energy sector).